The present invention relates to an improvement in a process of and an apparatus for preparing and processing sewing data for an automatic sewing machine using a storing medium.
As well known in the art, industrial electronic sewing machines include an automatic sewing mechanism having a memory which stores programmed sewing data for automatically controlling the cloth or sewing needle according to a predetermined sewing pattern based on stored sewing data, thereby automatically sewing the cloth in a desired pattern. The sewing data is written in a storing medium in the memory. The storing medium is replaceable with another storing medium such that different sewing patterns can be easily selected as desired for sewing operations, with the results that the sewing machine can economize labor and can be operated at an increased speed. The storing medium may be a semiconductor memory such as a PROM or a magnetic card on which a desired sewing pattern, sewing speed and other control data are stored in the order of sewing operations. Normally, the sewing data is composed of control commands such as an amount of relative displacement between the sewing needle and the cloth for each stitching, a sewing speed and other movements. Control information for a single sewing pattern is composed of a collection of control commands each for one stitching.
For automatic sewing of a desired pattern on an automatic sewing machine of the type described, it is therefore necessary to prepare sewing data for the desired sewing pattern and then enter such sewing data in a given storing medium.
A conventional technique of preparing such data has included the steps of writing a desired sewing pattern on section paper or the like, reading out one by one coordinates of points where the needle is to be lowered for stitching, and entering such data into the storing medium. With the conventional process, however, coordinates of needle points can easily be read out incorrectly and hence producing errors in the sewing pattern, an undue expenditure of time and labor is necessary to prepare sewing data, and sewing data for a complicated sewing pattern is difficult to prepare. Furthermore, a single known storing medium holds only one set of sewing data, resulting in less than fully effective use of storage capacity. The storing medium must in addition be removed and attached again each time data is to be read in and read out.